Ancient Poem Resonates Here And Now

Saturday evening, I married the woman of my dreams. Those dreams are hardly new. They've been stirring my heart and warming my soul since the moment I met her nearly three decades ago.

What took us so long? Without even knowing it, we were waiting for the right moment ... the right circumstances ... the right combination of life lessons learned by both of us ... the wisdom to fully embrace an ancient writing that we happened upon just a few weeks ago and like many before us, I've discovered included in our ceremony.

Titled, "The Blessing of the Apaches," it has a special resonance right here, right now as world events continue to make us all feel a bit more frightened, a bit more alone, a bit more appreciative of the value of love.

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other," it reads. "Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. ... Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.

"When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship ... remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight."